Deadlock draws different reactions

Snow Canyon celebrates region crown with 0-0 tie, while Hurricane's season comes to end

As the scoreboard reached all zeros Thursday night, the Snow Canyon girls soccer team could officially celebrate its Region 9 title.

Sure, it wasn't the ideal scenario after ending in a 0-0 double overtime draw against Hurricane. Yet the accomplishment of earning the No. 1 seed for the 3A state tournament was all the satisfaction the Warriors needed. It was certainly all the Warriors student body needed too as they chanted proudly "region champs" following the sound of the final horn.

"Our goal, from the beginning, has been to take state," said Snow Canyon goalkeeper Grace Walton. "For us the final regular season game is an opportunity to make sure we are playing our best soccer. We have a number of underclassman who have stepped up and played important minutes due to some serious injuries. The Hurricane game was another opportunity for them to be prepared to play in the state tournament."

The outcome wasn't ideal for the Tigers (4-7-1) either.

They needed a win over the Warriors, and help from Pine View and Desert Hills to have an opportunity in attaining the No. 4 seed. Nevertheless, coach Benji Nelson has said patience is vital for the supporters of their program, adding it's going to take time to build the program to compete with powerhouses Snow Canyon and Dixie.

As for this season, he said the girls certainly gave it a 100 percent each game.

As for the regular season finale matchup, both the Tigers and Warriors had numerous opportunities to score.

While the first half play resulted in a little sluggish, shots on goal reigned supreme during the second half and each of the overtimes.

Hurricane forward Lynne Taylor played aggressively, and put her team in position to score as much as she could. Nevertheless, the Warriors were tough to break through night. Their midfielders pushed the ball up field, while the defenders cleared when threatened.

Most importantly, though, was Walton's play, which has been consistent all season.

Her poise and soccer intuition protected Snow Canyon's net. Walton knew when to head up field and secure the ball and when to stay back and be the force between the posts.

In the end, the letterman secured a reported seventh clean sheet of the season.

"I was a field player until a couple of years ago," Walton said. "There has been a pretty big learning curve for me. I give the credit to my teammates, especially our back line. There have been shutout games this season that I wasn't that busy in the box. My teammates are playing at such a high level, keeping the ball away from the goal."

Snow Canyon (9-2-1) was without some of its starters, particularly, leading scorer Callie Stewart, who injured her leg in the previous game against Dixie. In any case, players like Sarah Henderson took charge and put relentless pressure on Hurricane's defense.

The Warriors missed a plethora of shots on goal by inches, such as over the crossbar or just outside the posts.

"Soccer is a game of heart and effort. You have to put 100 percent in to the game for the full 80 minutes," Walton said. "Usually the team that wins is the team that expends maximum effort for the entire game. We've been very successful doing that this season. We need to continue that, into the state tournament."

DIXIE 7, CANYON VIEW 0: Finess White scored two goals, and the Flyers got two in less than a minute near the end of the first half to cruise to its seventh straight win.

Dixie finished with a 7-3-2 record in Region 9 play and earned the No. 2 seed for the 3A playoffs that start Wednesday. They finished tied with Cedar, but earned its first home game since 2007 by virtue of a win and tie against the Lady Reds in the season series.

"We're playing really good and have beaten two top-5 teams in the last two weeks," Dixie coach Burt Myers said. "We're peaking at the right moment and I'm excited for this team. I think we can go a long way in the playoffs."

Kelsey McCann picked up the clean sheet for Dixie.

The Flyers will host Payson in their opening playoff game at Walt Brooks Stadium, while Cedar travels to face Delta.

PINE VIEW 3, DESERT HILLS 1: The Panthers were able to get two goals in the second half to beat the Thunder.